News

The agendas for the PRRHD and PRRD Board meetings to be held on Thursday, August 13th at the PRRD Office Boardroom, 1981 Alaska Avenue, Dawson Creek are now posted to the website.  The PRRHD Board meeting will begin at 10:00 am with the PRRD Board meeting to immediately follow.

As of June 1st, Board Meetings are open to the public; however, only 4 additional people are permitted. If you wish to attend a Board Meeting for a specific agenda item, please email prrd.dc@prrd.bc.ca to request a spot.

To follow social distancing requirements, please continue to watch the Board meetings livestreamed over Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialPRRD/

Friday, August 7, 2020

Regional District Office Boardroom

1981 Alaska Avenue, Dawson Creek BC

9:00 am

The Peace River Regional District hereby gives notice of its intention to hold a Special Meeting of the Electoral Area Directors Committee, on Friday, August 7, 2020 in the PRRD Office Boardroom at 1981 Alaska Avenue, Dawson Creek, BC.

Click Notice for more information. The agenda package is available at: prrd.bc.ca/agendas-minutes/

Landslides and major flooding in the Northeast Region from June 14 – July 13, 2020, have caused property and content damages. As a result of the damages sustained from this event, provincial Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) has been authorized for qualifying claimants, such as homeowners, residential tenants, small business owners, farmers, charitable organizations and local government bodies, who were unable to obtain insurance to cover these disaster-related losses in the Peace River Regional District.  This includes all first nation communities, electoral (rural) areas and municipalities within the geographic boundaries of the regional district.

Emergency Management BC strongly encourages people to submit their application as soon as possible so that they can have the damage assessment completed promptly, the deadline for EMBC to receive this form is October 16, 2020. As applications are received at the Emergency Management BC office, EMBC contracted evaluators will contact the applicants to explain the DFA program requirements and schedule an onsite visit.   SAVE ALL RECEIPTS even if you have already spent money to repair your home, property or business!

Information about DFA at http://www.gov.bc.ca/disasterfinancialassistance.  There you will find the DFA Application Form, ‘Disaster Financial Assistance Guidelines for Private Sector’, information bulletins about DFA and insurance and ‘One Step at a time – A Guide to Disaster Recovery’.  Paper copies of the application can be picked up at the PRRD offices in Dawson Creek and Fort St John starting Monday afternoon.

Information from the full message, posted to the website at Emergency News, includes:

• How to apply, and the application deadline
• What is DFA?
• When is DFA Available?
• Who is eligible for DFA?
• What is eligible for DFA?

The Peace River Regional District, District of Chetwynd, City of Dawson Creek, District of Hudson’s Hope, and Village of Pouce Coupe have partnered to develop housing needs reports for each of the participating municipalities and Electoral Areas B, C, D, and E.

As part of this work, the PRRD will be engaging broadly with residents in the partner municipalities and electoral areas through a community survey that will be launched in July 2020.  The survey will be available online and residents will also be able to request a paper copy be mailed to their home.

We want to hear from you to make sure the housing needs reports reflect residents’ experiences and perspectives. The survey will be open from July 14 – August 5! Complete the survey for your chance to win 1 of 2 $100 Visa Giftcards!

Visit our Engage page to learn more!

Take the Survey!

After reviewing a number of options for the Rose Prairie Water Station, the Peace River Regional District will be moving forward with the installation of a pilot, Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) Filter, at the Rose Prairie Water Station.  Once the modular unit is in place, it is estimated that the pilot will run for 4-6 weeks to ensure the water meets acceptable health standards for the residents of Electoral Area B.

The GAC Filters will be installed at the Rose Prairie Water Station over the summer, during which time the water will continue to be tested to ensure the new filters are working as expected and the water is meeting Northern Health standards. The pilot study for the GAC Filters will be installed on the Bottle Fill, with the commissioning and opening of the Bottle Fill planned to take place late August/early September at the earliest. If the pilot test on the Bottle Fill system is successful then full-scale design and construction will be the included next steps.

We want to thank residents once again for their patience throughout this project. The Staff and Directors at the PRRD are looking forward to seeing the Rose Prairie Water Station fully operational and serving the residents of Electoral Area B in 2020.

The City of Fort St. John and the Peace River Regional District have been working in partnership towards an adjustment of property lines for the Festival Plaza Development.

The Festival Plaza, which will be located on the southeast corner of 100 Street and 96 Avenue, was identified in the Downtown Action Plan as one of 10 Big Moves to Energize the Downtown. The development will consist of a covered shelter, food truck stalls, performance space and washrooms. It will be a year-round home for the farmers market, community events, food vendors, buskers, social gatherings and public art.

The Peace River Regional District will be placing public notices as per the requirements of the Local Government Act regarding the disposition of this property.

Construction on this project is slated to begin in Summer 2020, stay up-to-date with all City of Fort St. John Capital Projects at www.fortstjohn.ca/capital-projects.

To see the full press release, please click the link below.

Media Release – City and PRRD Announce Agreement for Festival Plaza Lands

Board Meetings

All PRRD Board Meetings will be live-streamed on the PRRD Facebook page to allow the public to view Board Meetings.  Note that due to room occupancy limits, gallery seating for the public is limited to 4 people in order to ensure physical distancing.  Please check our “COVID-19 Resources for Residents” page for a quick reference guide on attending Board meetings.

Facility Status

See Quick Reference Guides for more info!

• PRRD Main Office in Dawson Creek – open to the public
• PRRD Office in Fort St John – open to the public
• Charlie Lake Fire Hall – open by appointment (250 785-1424)
• PRRD Warehouse – open by appointment (250 784-3200)
• Landfills & transfer stations – open see schedule 
• Water Stations – open
• Charlie Lake Sewer Receiving – open
• Share Sheds (open June 15th)

Regional Parks

See Quick Reference Guide for more info!

• Blackfoot Regional Park  – open for camping (first come first served basis)
• Spencer Tuck Regional Park – open for day use
• Sundance Lake Regional Park – open for day use
• Minaker Regional Park – closed
• Montney Regional Park  – open for day use
• Iver Johnson Community Park – open for day use
• Note: All PRRD Parks Washroom / Outhouse Facilities are open but are not cleaned daily

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Thursday, June 4, 2020

Regional District Office Boardroom

1981 Alaska Avenue, Dawson Creek BC

1:00 pm

The Peace River Regional District hereby gives notice of its intention to hold a Special Meeting of the Electoral Area Directors Committee, on Thursday, June 4, 2020 in the PRRD Office Boardroom at 1981 Alaska Avenue, Dawson Creek, BC.

Click Notice for more information. The agenda package is available at: prrd.bc.ca/agendas-minutes/

The Peace River Regional District is pleased to release the 2019 Climate Action Revenue Incentive Program (CARIP) report.

Click here to read the report

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The Peace River Regional District has adopted a new fee structure at Regional Landfills that gives the PRRD the ability to charge separate rates for residential and commercial landfill users. Under the new system, residents will not see any changes to their current bills while commercial users will see an increase of 3.3% beginning on May 1^st, 2020.

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Effective at 12:00 noon on Thursday, April 16, 2020, most open burning activities will be prohibited throughout British Columbia to reduce the likelihood of human-caused wildfires, although campfires will still be allowed.

• Category 2 open fires;
• Category 3 open fires;
• Resource Management open fires;
• The use of fireworks;
• The use of sky lanterns; and
• The use of burn barrels or burn cages of any size or description (except when used for a campfire).

Read the full Information Bulletin

Map of the Prince George Fire Centre

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, meetings that were scheduled to discuss the next steps for the Rose Prairie Water Station were cancelled and have not yet been rescheduled at this time. PRRD Staff are eager and committed to looking for solutions to move forward on the Rose Prairie Water Station, however, health and safety must come first. These meetings will be rescheduled as soon as possible and we will update you on future plans and actions for the Rose Prairie Water Station as soon as we have new information available.

Today is the 1 Year Anniversary of North East BC Emergency & Public Alerts! Over 1000 Residents of the Peace Region have already signed up for receive alerts! Thank you for staying informed and spreading the word about North East BC Emergency & Public Alerts in your community.

Click here to sign up today!

PRRD Offices are now open to the Public with new procedures to keep both the public and our staff safe!

Quick Reference Guides

Camping and Recreating in PRRD Parks

Operating a PRRD Owned Community Facility

Renting a PRRD Owned Community Facility

Using PRRD Water Stations

Taking Items to Landfills and Transfer Stations

Making a Development Application

Using the Charlie Lake Sewer Receiving Facility

Attending a Board or Committee Meeting

Frequently Asked Questions About PRRD Operations

How do I speak to or make an appointment with staff?

Peace River Regional District offices are now open for their regular office hours. To speak to one of our staff, the public is welcome to come to our offices during business hours or may also use our staff directory to reach any of our staff members.

What are the PRRD Office COVID procedures?

The PRRD has introduced new safety procedures to ensure that everyone who visits our office – both the public and staff – are as safe as possible. These new procedures include:

• Everyone entering PRRD facilities must sanitize their hands when they come in.
• Each room, including meeting rooms and reception areas, have a maximum occupancy to ensure we are able to follow social distancing. If the occupancy is exceeded, please wait outside until someone exits.
• An information log will be kept of all people to enter PRRD offices to help with contact tracing should someone who has been in our offices discover they have COVID-19.

How many people are allowed in PRRD Offices?

The number of people allowed in a room/building has been determined by the size and ability to ensure physical distancing (staying a minimum of 2 metres or 6 feet apart).

• The maximum number of public allowed in the Fort St John Office Reception Area: 2
• The maximum number of public allowed in the Dawson Creek Office Reception Area: 3 

When will PRRD facilities be opening?

As all of BC begins to return to our ‘new normal’ of the BC Restart Plan, the Peace River Regional District will be taking steps towards recovery with the new PRRD COVID Recovery Plan. We are currently in Phase Two of the PRRD Recovery Plan, which sees a number of facilities open.

Phase 1 (Mid – Late May 2020)

Staff resume work in Dawson Creek and Fort St John offices Montney Centennial Park and Iver Johnson Park opens for day-use only

Phase 2 ( June to September 2020)

PRRD offices open to the public Charlie Lake Fire members resume in-person training with conditions PRRD community halls may resume maintenance and cleaning activities with conditions. Essential public hearings, on a case by case basis, may resume in-person if electronic options are not available and if ap propriate meeting venues and sanitization requirements can be met Blackfoot Regional Park opens for camping. Share Sheds Open (as of June 15)   Minaker River Regional Park opens for camping PRRD will consider, on a case by case basis, community halls holding small events with less than 50 people (starting in July)   Chetwynd Recreation Centre and North Peace Leisure Pool will open under the direction of the municipalities. Buick and Clearview Arenas will open at the direction of School District No 60 Essential in-region travel

Phase 3 (TBD)

Date to be determined dependent on public health, social and economic factors to be examined starting in August 2020 Non-essential meetings Public engagement activities In-person engagement with First Nations communities Out-of-region travel

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The PRRD is continuing to monitor the COVID-19 / Coronavirus situation. We encourage residents to stay up to date and continue to follow the Provincial and Federal Governments as the official sources for new information. Below are some resources that may be helpful for residents:

BC Centre for Disease Control    |  Website    Facebook

Northern Health    |  Website    Facebook

Northern BC Information Line: 1-844-645-7811

Government of Canada – Public Health    |   Website     Facebook

Health Link BC (BC Ministry of Health)    |   Website     Facebook

First Nations Health Authority    |   Website     Facebook

BC 211    |   Website     Facebook

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During this difficult time, the Peace River Regional District will be taking steps to protect employees and the public by closing the PRRD Main office in DC, office in FSJ, Charlie Lake Fire Hall, and Warehouse to the public as of 4:30pm on March 20th.

Many of our employees will now be working remotely to combat the spread of COVID-19. We want to reassure our residents that PRRD employees will still be available to help.

For assistance, please call the PRRD at 250-784-3200 / Toll Free: 800-670-7773. To contact a PRRD staff member by email, visit the Staff Directory to find a list of our staff with their contact information.

Continue to check prrd.bc.ca for future updates.

As of March 14, 2020 the North Peace Leisure Pool will be closed until further notice. Please refer to the City of Fort St John’s website for more information. 

For information on Pool and Facilities in other municipalities, please refer to their websites. 

Following the January Update, Directors and staff at the PRRD are continuing to evaluate alternative options to come up with the best solution for the Rose Prairie Water Station.

Thank you again to the residents still waiting for the Rose Prairie Water Station. We appreciate your frustration and thank you for your patience yet again. Another update on the Rose Prairie Water Station will be issued by the end of March. 

Learn more about the Rose Prairie Water Station by visiting the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page at prrd.bc.ca.

Congratulations to the PRRD Finance Department for receiving their 2018 Canadian Award for Financial Reporting Award. 

The Canadian Award for Financial Reporting has been awarded to the Peace River Regional District, British Columbia by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA)  for its annual financial report. The Canadian Award for Financial Reporting Program was established to encourage municipal governments throughout Canada to publish high-quality financial reports and to provide peer recognition and technical guidance for officials preparing these reports. Its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management.

Click here to download the 2018 Annual Report

Click here to learn more about the Canadian Award for Financial Reporting

The Partnership Agreement between the Province of BC, Government of Canada, Saulteau First Nations, and West Moberly First Nations for the recovery of southern mountain caribou was signed on Friday, February 21, 2020.

Read More: Southern Mtn. Caribou Partnership Agreement Signed

Following the last Rose Prairie Water Station Update on December 20, 2019, the Electoral Area Directors Committee made a resolution to authorize testing a second water well near the water station as a potential alternative water source while work continues on the existing sulphide/turbidity issues.

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At the January 23rd Board Meeting, the PRRD Board received a response to their December 13th Letter from Premier John Horgan and resolved: 

That the Regional Board support the District of Chetwynd by advising the Honourable John Horgan, Premier of BC, that it will not participate in the following scheduled caribou related working group meetings:

• Snowmobile Advisory Committee (January 23, 2020 in Dawson Creek)
• Land Use Objectives Stakeholder Committee & Socio-Economic Advisory Committee (January 24, 2020 in Chetwynd) unless local government is awarded a seat on the Caribou Recovery Committee specified in the Partnership Agreement to Recover the Central Group of Southern Mountain Caribou, or a meeting of the Leaders’ Table is called and local government is provided information that local government will be provided the opportunity to participate in the Partnership Agreement, other than through separate advisory committees.

This resolution was sent in a letter to Premier John Horgan on January 23rd, 2020. 

Find more information, see the Southern Mountain Caribou Engage Page!

The Peace River Regional District would like to apologize for the delays in opening the Rose Prairie Water Station. Residents have been extremely patient in what we know has been a frustrating process.  During the commissioning of the Rose Prairie Water Station earlier this year, Sulphides were found in the water supply. Additional treatments have been installed to reduce the Sulphides, however, these treatments have not yet been able to decrease the measurable turbidity (cloudiness) in the water to acceptable levels. The PRRD’s goal is to open the Rose Prairie Water Station as soon as possible, however, the health and safety of residents is our top concern. Before opening, the Rose Prairie Water Station must meet the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality and the BC Ministry of Health treatment objectives for groundwater.  The PRRD is carefully weighing different options to move forward with the Rose Prairie Water Station.  So far, options include locating an alternative water source within the vicinity of the existing water station and/or additional treatment upgrades. It is our intention to have an update for residents by the end of January 2020.

The Peace River Regional District would like to once again thank residents for their patience and look forward to the opening of the Rose Prairie Water Station in 2020!

Read the Rose Prairie Water Station Frequently Asked Questions here!

Let’s tell the story of the Agriculture Industry in the Peace. The PRRD is asking Peace Region Farmers to complete a short survey about how the poor weather in 2019 has affected producers and businesses.

Visit prrd.bc.ca/engage/agriculture to find out more and take the survey.

• Due to the unfavorable weather conditions, many farmers were not able to harvest their crops and they will remain in the fields until they can be harvested in the spring.
• Driving snowmobiles and other recreational vehicles on the crops will damage them, resulting in less crops being viable in the spring.
• If you need to get around a field, choose to drive around the edges than through the middle of the field.

Notice on Production Insurance – Unharvested Grain and Canola Crops from the Ministry of Agriculture

The PRRD is taking the situation facing the Agriculture Industry extremely seriously and is taking action to advocate for agriculture.

At the November 14^th Board Meeting, the Peace River Regional District Board resolved to take action in support the local agriculture industry by sending a letter to provincial and federal representatives, including Premier John Horgan, Minister of Agriculture, Lana Popham, MLA Dan Davies, MLA Mike Bernier, and MP Bob Zimmer.  The Peace River Regional District would like to clarify that while the PRRD Board is in full support of the Agriculture industry and local farmers, there has not been a declaration of an Agricultural Emergency at this time. Video of the full discussion regarding the report can be found on the PRRD’s website at https://prrd.bc.ca/agendasminutes/peace-river-regional-district-prrd/.

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October 24th, 2019

Dear Premier Horgan:

Re: Leaders’ Table re: Caribou

On October 10^th, the Peace River Regional District wrote to you to express extreme disappointment that the Board did not receive an invitation to participate in the proposed Leaders’ Table regarding the Draft Intergovernmental Partnership Agreement for the Conservation of the Central Group of the Southern Mountain Caribou. . . .

Click Here to Read the Full Letter

The North East BC Emergency & Public Alerts system has hit 1,000 subscribers! Have you and your family signed up? 

North East BC Emergency & Public Alerts is a community-wide notification system. Residents who subscribe will be alerted about emergencies and other important community news by signing up. Residents can sign up to receive time-sensitive messages on their home, mobile or business phone, email address, or by text message.

Walkthrough the signup process quickly and easily with this tutorial video!

The Peace River Regional District Board has requested the information referred to by the Ministry of Public Safety in their July 26, 2019 email. 

Click here to read the full letter

‘Gotta Go’ pilot project establishes the first new restroom facility along the Alaska Highway. 

Read the full news release – Gotta Go News Release – June 25th

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The Peace River Regional District is pleased to release the 2018 Climate Action Revenue Incentive Program (CARIP) report. 

Click here to read the report

Click here to read the letter from Chair Brad Sperling on behalf of the PRRD Board to Hon. Minister McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, and Hon. Minister Donaldson, Minister of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, regarding the community division caused by the Southern Mountain Caribou engagement process. 

Water credits will be charged starting on June 15th at a rate of $3.00/m³.

Complete the signup process online at prrdwater.com or visit one of the PRRD offices in Fort St John or Dawson Creek during regular office hours for assistance.

Once registered, residents will be able to purchase water credits online any time of the day or night from their computer or other device and have access to potable water stations using their individual access code and pin.

Read the Water Station How-To Guide for more information on setting up your account online!

Continue to watch prrd.bc.ca for water station updates. 

How Will You Stay Informed About Emergencies?

Your safety is our top concern – that’s why communities in North East BC want to make sure you know about emergencies and public alerts as they happen. The Peace River Regional District will use the North East BC Emergency & Public Alerts system powered by Everbridge to make sure you know about issues that may affect your safety. This system allows the Peace River Regional District to contact thousands of residents in seconds so you can find out about an emergency right away. Receive important messages from the Peace River Regional District via email, phone, and text!

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March 25, 2019- The Peace River Regional District has issued an evacuation order for the house and surrounding property at 8657 Highway 29 South. This property is located in Electoral Area E, between Chetwynd and Tumbler Ridge.

The evacuation order was issued due to a landslide impacting the property and it is believed that there is an imminent threat to life and property.

 The occupants self-evacuated on March 23, 2019.

The Peace River Regional District is working with EMBC and other agencies to determine the next steps.

The Charlie Lake Fire Department was paged out at 18:34 on March 17, 2019, to respond to a structure fire on Poplar Road.

Once CLFD arrived, the fire was found to be burning in a bedroom. With quick action of the CLFD firefighters, the fire was knocked down, stopping the fire from spreading.

I8 firefighters were on scene, along with Engine 1, Engine 2, Tender 1, Rescue, and Squad 1 & 2. BC Ambulance Service and BC Hydro attended the scene as well.

The Peace River Regional District continues to advocate for an open conversation between the public and the Province regarding the status of the discussions about caribou recovery.

In a letter to Chair Brad Sperling, Minister George Heyman confirmed that the government is committed to advancing caribou recovery, while seeking to provide for the best interests of British Columbians. He noted that to help this iconic species recover, there needs to be a collaborative approach that works for everyone, and that as the Provincial Government moves forward with caribou recovery, BC will be looking at the impacts of all land uses.

Since the meeting in Prince George with the Province, Chair Sperling has continued to be in contact with the province as they work with the Federal government to roll out the consultation to the region. Chair Sperling has requested that a minimum of three public consultations be held in the region. He would like to see meetings held in Chetwynd, Dawson Creek and Fort St. John.

Full Media release here: 2019-15-2019 Caribou Press release

February 1, 2019- At the request of the Peace River Regional District and North Island 9-1-1, E-Comm (9-1-1 answer point for the Peace River Regional District) has provided the following information after a report of a 9-1-1 call connection delay on January 8, 2019.

Media Release